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Harris Slams Trump For Likening U.S. To Garbage Can For The World; Harris And Trump Tied In New CNN National Poll With 11 Days To Go; Wall Street Journal Reports, Trump Ally Elon Musk In Regular Contact With Putin Since 2022; Republicans Targeting Crucial Senate Seat In Wisconsin; Trump-Appointed Appeals Court Judges Say Mississippi's Post-Election Mail Ballot Receipt Violates Federal Law. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 25, 2024 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, breaking news, Kamala Harris slams Donald Trump for likening the United States to a, quote, garbage can for the world. Trump is now doubling down on his new insult of America and its increasingly dark message about illegal immigration.

Also tonight, Beyonce makes her debut on the campaign trail with Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston while former President Trump returns to battleground Michigan. All of this as CNN's exclusive new national poll shows the presidential race is dead even with 11 days to go.

Plus, we're breaking down a new report that Trump's billionaire ally, Elon Musk, has been in regular contact with one of America's top adversaries, Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

We're following breaking news on fresh lines of attack in these, the closing days, of the presidential race, Kamala Harris sticking to her strategy of warning that Donald Trump and his rhetoric are dangerous and demeaning, Trump doubling down on his new characterization of the U.S. as a garbage can for the world.

CNN's Alayna Treene standing by a Trump's next stop, a rally in Michigan. But, first, let's go to CNN's Rosa Flores in Houston, Texas, where the vice president is holding her first campaign event with Beyonce later tonight.

Rosa, we've seen Kamala Harris hitting Trump today for ratcheting up his attacks on undocumented immigrants.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Harris visibly upset by the remarks made by former President Donald Trump when he said that the U.S. was a garbage can and a dumping ground for the world. Kamala Harris taking the opportunity to yet again try to create a contrast between an America that is led by Kamala Harris and an America that's led by Donald Trump. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's just another example of how he really belittles our country. This is someone who is a former president of the United States, who has a bully pulpit. And this is how he uses it to tell the rest of the world that somehow the United States of America is trash.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now, the big question, of course, tonight, if you're watching and you're wondering why is Kamala Harris in Texas, which is not a battleground state when this race is in a dead heat, well, she probably said it best earlier today. She says that Texas is ground zero when it comes to the fight for abortion rights and for reproductive freedoms. And that is exactly what Texas is, when you talk about Texas being one of the states that has some of the strictest abortion bans in the country.

And she will have some star power with her, Kamala Harris. We're expecting, Beyonce Queen B, to be here in Houston with Kamala Harris, but also some very strong and powerful stories that will be shared by real women. We're expecting Amanda Zyrowski to be here with her and Shanette Williams, Wolf, as Kamala Harris really tries to make the argument that there are real life consequences if people vote for Donald Trump. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Rosa, I want you to stand by as we bring in CNN's Alayna Treene. She's joining us from Michigan right now. That's where Donald Trump has a rally later tonight.

Alayna, Trump is painting a dark picture of the United States and this election. What did he say today?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Oh, well, Wolf, he is definitely ratcheting up that dark picture, inflammatory rhetoric that we've heard him escalate in recent weeks, but he has been taking it to new heights in recent days.

Now today in Austin during remarks there, he really focused on the border. He aired his grievances about illegal immigration. He continued to sow doubt in the integrity of this upcoming election. And he also had very sharp words for John Kelly as well as The Atlantic overall. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We're like a garbage can for the rest of the world to dump the people that they don't want.

Removing illegal voters off the voting rolls should be a big priority for this country.

Lots of bad things happen.

[18:05:00]

Where were those votes that I saw two days ago? Oh, well, we're painting that section and we decided to move them, sir.

Putin and the whole group, Kim Jong-un, they're tough guys out there. They're tough and they're smart and they're streetwise and they're at the top of their game.

It was phony stories by a general that got fired.

He was a nut job to start off with.

These fake news people, they're so bad.

These are evil people. They're a threat to democracy. And, you know, we are not a threat. The threat to democracy is the other side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So a lot that he said that you could hear in that clip there, Wolf. But, look, those comments about America being a dumping ground for the world, being the garbage can of the world, those are comments he first made last night, but are really him leaning in, again, to that dark rhetoric about particularly the border.

When I talked to Trump's advisers, they say he's going to continue doing this. They think that this is helping him. It's the same type of language that helped propel him, they argue, to the White House in 2016. And they think it'll help him again this time. So, I think when he comes here to Traverse City later this evening, you can expect to hear some of that same language tonight. Wolf?

BLITZER: Alayna Tnree, thank you. Rosa Flores, thanks to you as well.

I want to bring in our panel of political experts right now. And, Alyssa Farrah Griffin, Trump has been on the defensive over the revelation that he spoke favorably of Hitler's generals, his wanting to target his political opponents, and these latest new comments about the United States actually being a garbage can. Yet in our final CNN poll of polls, poll that came out today on the 2024 election, Harris and Trump are tied at 47 percent. Are you surprised by that?

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I'm actually not surprised. I think we live in one of the most politically polarized moments in modern history.

So, this race is going to appear a dead heat and I think frankly it is. But there's been this kind of a narrative that Kamala Harris should not be talking about Donald Trump's unfitness for office. She shouldn't be bringing up General Kelly's comments about him praising Hitler among other things. I think she needs to be practicing an all of the above strategy. She needs to call out and define why Donald Trump is uniquely dangerous in a way that no modern candidate for president has ever been, while also proactively talking about what her agenda is and what she wants to do for voters when in the White House. That's where the message has to be. That's why I think it's smart, actually, that she's in Texas on this issue, that she's done so well with women on, talking about reproductive health, not just abortion, but access to IVF, among other things.

So, listen, I think you're going to hear it from all of the above from her. And I think speaking on The Ellipse and reminding people of January 6th is incredibly important.

BLITZER: Lance Trover is with us as well. Lance, Kamala Harris calls Trump's latest comments about the United States being a, quote, garbage can. She says it's another example of how he really belittles our country. Why is Trump describing the United States this way?

LANCE TROVER, FORMER BURGUM PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON: Well, I think all you need to do is look at the CNN poll and look at every other poll that's come out over the course of the last year, and it shows that immigration is the number two issue right behind cost of living and the economy. And he is leading on that issue in the CNN poll by 16 points. 56 percent of this country now supports mass deportations. People are fed up.

And I actually think that this is a complete misreading of this subject by Kamala Harris and her campaign because the country is obviously very angry about it. If, again, you go back consistently and look at the polling on this issue, they are very angry.

And I think the problem also for her is she has been inconsistent on her messaging. If you watched her at the town hall the other night, she went and laughed about the border wall, but then says that she wants to pass some bipartisan immigration bill, which has money for the border wall in it. But all of that is them assuming that the borders are -- that the voters are stupid and don't know that it was she and Joe Biden who undid all of the Trump border policies that led to the tens of millions of illegal immigrants coming into this country.

So, no, I don't think it's Donald Trump's rhetoric that's bothering voters. I think it's that she is inconsistent on this issue.

BLITZER: Well let me get some thoughts from Gevin Reynolds who's with us as well. Gevin, Kamala Harris has been railing against what she calls Trump's extreme rhetoric, yet this race remains a dead heat, according to our latest CNN poll and several other polls as well. Why do you think that is?

GEVIN REYNOLDS, FORMER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SPEECHWRITING FOR V.P. HARRIS: Well, Wolf, here's the thing, and some might disagree with me on this, but here's what I know for sure. There's not a single Democrat out there who's looking at these poll numbers and saying, we got this. That's not the case. And that's part of the reason why, Wolf, the vice president is actually out there doing interviews, doing town halls, doing rallies. She would do a debate if Donald Trump actually signed up to do another one. She truly is not taking a single vote for granted. But my read is that Donald Trump must be looking at these polls that we just had up on the screen, Wolf, and thinking that he's got this, that -- and he is terribly wrong if that's the case, or perhaps he just doesn't care to win, Wolf. But at the end of the day, I think what the vice president is recognizing is that polls don't vote. People do.

And what are we seeing people do right now, we're seeing people show up to her rallies in great numbers.

[18:10:02]

We're seeing people show up to knock on doors, to make phone calls. We're seeing folks show up to give money, to give their time, their talent, their treasure. We're seeing the vice president demonstrate time and time again that there is only one candidate in the race who actually cares about winning over those voters who are winnable at this time.

And there are certainly a lot of issues out there, Wolf, that I think influence the fact that these polls continue to be tied. But what the fact of the matter remains is that only one candidate demonstrates the seriousness and that she possesses the presidential qualities to actually solve those problems. I think the American people are starting to realize that and will continue to do so.

BLITZER: All right. Alyssa, as you well know, and our viewers by now know as well, Beyonce will be joining Kamala Harris later tonight at this Texas rally, during which the vice president will seek to amplify the issue of abortion access. Here's part of a new campaign ad focusing precisely on this. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her blanket.

TRUMP: First of all, I'm the one that got rid of Roe v. Wade.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe in punishment for abortion?

TRUMP: There has to be some form of punishment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the woman?

TRUMP: Yes.

You will no longer have anxiety. You will be protected and I will be your protector.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Alyssa, is this the right closing message for the campaign?

GRIFFIN: It's certainly one of them. Listen, I'm personally pro-life. I wouldn't have an abortion, but this hits me as a woman who's planning to have kids soon. I don't know a Republican woman, a Democratic woman who doesn't think that some of states have gone too far when they're jeopardizing a woman's future fertility, a woman who wants to be a mother, when they're not giving emergency care to people who need it.

So, I think this is an incredibly compelling race or way to reach voters who may be on the margins on this issue, but just think that the safety of women has to matter even if they're not personally for abortion.

But I do want to mention this, to this point around border security, you cited that the vast majority of Americans support mass deportations. I have never seen that number in my life. The bipartisan border bill that Kamala Harris supports that most Republicans in Congress supported until Donald Trump tried to block it is where the majority of this country is. The notion that Donald Trump is campaigning on mass deportations, that, to me, signals that he doesn't realize the ceiling that he has and he is not turning on new voters in his messaging.

BLITZER: Lance, I want to get your reaction to what one Kamala Harris campaign adviser told CNN, and I'm quoting now, Donald Trump asked the question, were you better off than four years ago, before Trump, people had bodily autonomy. How problematic is this issue for the Trump campaign?

TROVER: Again, I go back to the CNN poll or The Wall Street Journal poll. I mean, voters absolutely look back favorably on Donald Trump's presidency, when they go back to it. They now have a much more unfavorable view of Kamala Harris and her vice presidency. It is a fact. It keeps showing up in every single poll across the country. It's one of the biggest problems that she faces in this country.

I'm not suggesting that abortion is not an important issue, but if you look consistently, whether it's CNN or whatever, the economy and border security are the number one and number two issues.

And, listen, I would just disagree. There are polls out there that show consistently that mass deportations now have gone over 50 percent of the support of this country. So, again, I don't think his rhetoric is off on this. It seems to me that voters rate it as the number two issue out there right now.

GRIFFIN: Do you think calling people vermin is off?

TROVER: Look, I'm telling you right now, if his rhetoric were the problem, if voters didn't agree with that, he wouldn't be leading by 16 points in the current CNN poll out there right now.

BLITZER: Well, the current CNN poll, national poll, has a total result of a tie, at least right now. There you see it, 47 percent for Kamala Harris, 47 percent for Donald Trump, no clear leader, at least according to this exclusive new CNN poll just out today.

Everybody stand by. We have more to discuss, and we will, including a powerful member of Congress suggesting a critical battleground state could give its electoral votes to Donald Trump before, yes, before votes are even counted.

Plus, the Republican Party now preparing to take a fight over ballots in Pennsylvania all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: You're looking at live pictures of Charlotte, North Carolina, where former President Barack Obama is about to rally for the first time in the state on behalf of Kamala Harris. This as the leader of the far right House Freedom Caucus is facing a lot of backlash right now for suggesting that North Carolina, get this, consider allocating its presidential electors to Donald Trump even before votes are counted.

Congressman Andy Harris claims the state's GOP-controlled legislature could take this step because devastation from Hurricane Helene might make voting more challenging. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANDY HARRIS (R-MD): You statistically can go and say, hey, look, you got disenfranchised in 25 counties. You know what that vote probably would have been, which it would be. If I were in the legislation, I'd have to go, yes, we got to convene a legislature and we can't disenfranchise the voters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And in a subsequent statement to CNN, the Congress been responding to the criticism, saying his comments were taken out of context, and adding this, and I'm quoting him now, as I've repeatedly said, every legal vote should be counted.

Our political experts are back with us. And, Gevin Reynolds, let me start with you. What do you make of this rather bizarre comment from Republican Congressman Andy Harris?

[18:20:00]

REYNOLDS: Well, I think it's rich of Congressman Harris (INAUDIBLE) disenfranchisement and the vote when it was the Republicans on the Supreme Court who gave us a 2013 decision of Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted the Voting Rights Act. So, I think it's quite hypocritical and quite rich for Congressman Harris to talk about this.

But, look, this is just one piece of a nationwide MAGA blueprint. When you talk about what MAGA Republicans are trying to do to disenfranchise, especially black voters out there and suppress the vote. I'm from Georgia, Wolf, and we saw just last month Republicans on the state election board seeking to change the rules around requiring hand counting of ballots across the whole state. Now, this was a move that the Republican governor, Brian Kemp, Republican secretary of state, Republican attorney general all came out against as saying that it was illegal. But yet the election board proceeded to vote in favor of those rule changes.

Now, fortunately, the state Supreme Court overturned those rule changes, but I do think we're seeing this pattern of Republicans across the country seeking to change the rules to rig the rules around this election because they're afraid of losing.

BLITZER: Alyssa, Politico notes that Andy Harris' comments came in response to a pro Trump activist making the case that several GOP- controlled legislatures could just award their electors to Trump. How seriously do you take any of this?

GRIFFIN: I think it's deeply reckless. I do appreciate that Congressman Harris seemed to at least walk it back. But, listen, Donald Trump tried to overturn the last election. They put up a slate of fake electors. He was backed by many House Republicans in that effort. I believe Andy Harris' one of them. There's now a blueprint for this.

And this notion that it's just seeped into our civic discourse, that it's okay to kind of play by different rules and not just let each vote by each citizen count is really dangerous That's why so few people actually trust the electoral process.

And I would just know as a factual matter, I used to work for a Congressman who represented Western, North Carolina. Much of who've been impacted in this area of Asheville are also Democrats. This is not -- this notion that it's only Republicans who are going to be hurt and unable to turn out because of the hurricane, that's simply not true. People need to keep -- they need to focus on restoring faith in the election, that this is going to be safe and fair. And, you know, when people lose, they need to just do it gracefully.

BLITZER: You know, all of this is happening, Lance, and I want to get your thoughts, it comes as Trump is threatening to imprison election officials and political operatives if he takes office. How do you interpret that?

TROVER: On the North -- let me just go back to the North Carolina stuff. I mean, I do think the Trump campaign has had concerns about, you know, folks who've been affected by the Hurricane and getting sure they have access to vote, but as far as that, I don't think anybody is really taking his comments seriously. And I agree with Alyssa, I'm glad that they walked it back.

You know, again, the Trump The Trump rhetoric is something that we talk about ad nauseum here every single day. And if you look at the polling out across the country, voters are very clear-eyed about who Donald Trump is. And, again, I go back to the fact that the reason this poll is tied, and if you look at the undercurrent in the polling and where Kamala Harris is struggling is because Donald Trump actually has a very clear message, which is Kamala broke it, Trump will fix it. And I think the issue for the Harris campaign has been throughout, and we've seen it throughout the course of this week, is that she does not have a consistent message. Earlier this week, it was Donald Trump is bad, Donald Trump is a fascist, and today it's onto abortion. So, I don't see real clear a message coming out of her in these waning days.

BLITZER: 11 days to go. All right, guys, thank you very, very much.

Coming up, some of the Elon Musk's secret conversations going public right now, a new report detailing regular contact between Donald Trump's richest supporter and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: Tonight, more questions are being raised about Elon Musk's prominent role as a Trump ally and mega donor. The billionaire owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX reportedly has been in contact with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin on a regular basis.

Our Brian Todd is working the story for us. Brian, tell us more about this report and the concerns surrounding it.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, The Wall Street Journal reports that Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin have had multiple interactions and have discussed things like geopolitical tensions and personal topics. It's raised huge national security concerns and questions about Putin's motives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): The world's richest man, who's become a huge player on the Trump campaign trail, now reported to have had concerning interactions with one of America's biggest adversaries. Elon Musk, according to The Wall Street Journal, has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022, a report drawing unease from the head of NASA.

BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: I think it should be investigated. If the story is true, then I think that would be concerning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

NELSON: Particularly for NASA, for the Department of Defense, for some of the intelligence agencies.

TODD: That's because Musk, as the head of SpaceX, has a security clearance that gives him access to some classified information.

DMITRI ALPEROVITCH, RUSSIA AND CYBER EXPERT: SpaceX is a huge defense contractor to the U.S. government. They're sending astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA. They're sending up supply ships to the International Space Station. They're sending into orbits highly classified U.S. intelligence satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. TODD: The Journal cites a person who's aware of the conversations as saying no alerts have been raised by the Biden administration over possible security breaches by Musk. But the Journal also reports that several White House officials said they weren't aware of the conversations.

The Journal says in those talks, Musk and Putin discussed geopolitical tensions, personal topics and business.

[18:30:02]

Earlier this year, Musk's social media platform X carried Tucker Carlson's interview with the Russian president, in which Putin called Musk a smart person.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: I think there's no stopping Elon Musk. He will do as he sees fit.

TODD: The Journal report also raising alarms because of Russia's alleged attempts to meddle in America's elections because of Donald Trump's open admiration of Putin.

TRUMP: Putin and the whole group, Kim Jong-un, they're tough guys out there. They're tough and they're smart and they're streetwise and they're at the top of their game.

TODD: And concerns that the Russian leader has tried to manipulate Trump.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: What is Elon Musk really doing? Does he have the best interests of the United States in his mind or is he serving as a conduit for Vladimir Putin to Donald Trump in a way that doesn't have to be so public?

TODD: Separately, Journalist Bob Woodward has reported that Trump has spoken with Putin several times since leaving the White House, which Trump has denied. This report comes as Elon Musk has emerged as one of the most influential players in this election.

TRUMP: And I love Elon, by the way.

TODD: In recent weeks, Musk has repeatedly stumped for Donald Trump in battleground states and has donated nearly $120 million to help Trump get elected.

PRESTON: We've never seen a media baron in this age of social media, somebody who owns one of the most influential social media platforms, become so involved with one person.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Vladimir Putin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called The Wall Street Journal reporting, quote, absolutely false. Peskov says Musk and Putin have had only one interaction, that it was before 2022, that it was only on the phone and that they discussed was only technology. Peskov has also denied the reporting that Trump and Putin speak regularly.

Musk has not commented on The Wall Street Journal report, but has called previous criticism that he's become an apologist for Putin absurd. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Brian Todd reporting for us, Brian, thank you very much.

Let's discuss what's going on with Veteran Journalist and Political Analyst Jonathan Alter. He's the author of a brand new book, a very important book, entitled American Reckoning, Inside Trump's Trial and My Own. Jonathan, thanks very much for joining us.

You heard Trump's latest praise for dictators, as the new ABC poll finds that nearly half the country thinks Trump is a fascist. We'll put those numbers up on the screen. There you see it. 49 percent believe Trump is a fascist. And yet our new CNN National poll today shows the race is tied. You can see it over there, 47 percent to 47 percent. How do you square that?

JONATHAN ALTER, AUTHOR, AMERICAN RECKONING: Well, I think it's tough. I mean, that report we just saw is why the stakes are so high. Do we want to become an oligarchy full of crony capitalism? Do we want an American Putin is really what's on offer in this election? Donald Trump obviously really reveres Putin. He's manipulated by him. And when you introduce Musk into the matrix, it becomes seriously disturbing.

I'm glad that fascism is being debated. It should have been debated quite a while ago, when you have the former chief of staff to the president, the former top military officer in the entire United States, both saying that Donald Trump is a fascist.

Maybe some people don't understand what fascism is, but, you know, all they have to do is read a little history about a guy named Adolf Hitler, and they might get a better sense of what we have in store if we elect this entirely unfit man as president of the United States.

BLITZER: You write in your new book, American Reckoning, about why, according to retired General John Kelly, Trump's former White House chief of staff, Trump is drawn to Adolf Hitler, and I'm now quoting, like Hitler, who also started as a clownish figure, Trump must constantly up the ante to keep his fanatic followers engaged and his critics shocked and appalled. It's also because the only sincere part of Trump is his entirely honest thirst for total power. That's a quote from your book. Unpack all of that for us.

ALTER: Well, look, what I try to do in this book, in addition to covering what is so far the most significant trial of the 21st century, is to put in a small volume everything that is dangerous about this man. And it always starts with all fascists, all would be dictators with a thirst for power, as much power as they can accumulate.

One of the things that's interesting though, Wolf, is that Trump is telling us what he will do with that power. He will use it against his political enemies. That is a violation of what we stand for in this country.

[18:35:00]

And so part of this election is about who we are as a people. What do we represent? Do we represent the ideals of the founders of democracy and freedom or do we want to go the strong man route?

Now, look, demagoguery works when, you know, he spreads fear of the other. That works for him politically. That's one of the reasons why he's doing so well. And he's a master of the medium of television. But, you know, when you actually add it all up and listen to what he says, dictators always tell you what they're going to do. And Mein Kampf is the most truthful thing that Adolf Hitler ever wrote. He says in there exactly what he's going to do.

So, this is not a drill, Wolf. And this is a moment of national truth. Will we continue as a democracy? Or will we become an authoritarian government? And I'm hoping, I'm praying, actually, that people wake up and smell the coffee and understand the stakes, concentrate less on the horse race and the media and more on what is at stake for our country.

BLITZER: Jonathan Alter, thanks very much for joining us. Jonathan's new book, American Reckoning, Inside Trump's Trial and My Own, is available right now.

All right guys, thanks very much.

Just ahead, the uproar right now, and it's a huge uproar over at The Washington Post, after the newspaper reports its owner, the billionaire founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, killed an editorial endorsement of Kamala Harris.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: In a major departure, The Washington Post now says, the newspaper won't make a presidential endorsement for the first time in decades. According to a report in the Post, the owner, Jeff Bezos, made the ultimate decision killing a drafted endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris before it was published on the editorial page.

Let's bring in CNN Media Analyst Sara Fischer, who's with me here in the situation room. As you know, the former editor of the Washington Post, Marty Baron, a man I know well, calls this cowardice, his word, cowardice. How are journalists reacting?

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Uproar, Wolf. You have people who are threatening to resign. You've seen some resignations at the Post and at other papers where editors feel like they are no longer able to do endorsements. They think that this is a crisis for journalism because this is such a story tradition. Even though for a long time the Post didn't do endorsements, it's been doing them for decades. They feel like this is going to be essential ahead of the election and they can't do it. BLITZER: Just about 11 days before the election.

FISCHER: Yes.

BLITZER: This follows the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times blocking an endorsement on their editorial page of Vice President Kamala Harris as well. So, what are the broader journalistic implications that's going on right now?

FISCHER: I think people are frustrated because you have two billionaires, one of which being Jeff Bezos, that has relationships with the government, right, some of his businesses have government contracts, and there's a fear of retribution if you were to potentially endorse Kamala Harris and not endorse Donald Trump.

I think these journalists are frustrated. They want their billionaire owners to have backbones, to let their newsrooms do what they do without the fear of any sort of political retribution. But that's the challenge, Wolf. Sometimes your ownership can butt up against your editorial independence, and this is a case example of that.

BLITZER: It certainly is. All right, Sara, thank you very much, Sara Fischer, helping us appreciate what's going on.

Up next, inside the race that could determine control of the United States Senate, Republicans look to pick off a Democrat and hold both Wisconsin Senate seats for the first time since Dwight Eisenhower was president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:59]

BLITZER: With the United States Senate up for grabs and Democrats holding a razor thin majority, control of the chamber could come down to the battleground state of Wisconsin.

CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, has a closer look at one of the most contentious races of the 2024 campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a bitter battle in the Badger State, where Democrat Tammy Baldwin has held the seat for nearly a dozen years.

SEN. TAMMY BALDWIN (D-WI): I'm being challenged by a self-funding multimillionaire by the name of Eric Hovde.

RAJU: Now facing deep pocketed Eric Hovde who was turned the race into a dead heat with Democratic control of the Senate in peril.

ERIC HOVDE (R), WISCONSIN U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm the tip of the spear, but I can't do it without all of you.

RAJU: For months, Baldwin and her allies had been pummeling Hovde with a scathing series of ads from comments he made in losing Senate primary bid a dozen years ago.

AD NARRATOR: Eric Hovde has insulted just about everyone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's wrong with this guy?

RAJU: And his vast fortune stemming from owning a $3 billion bank, along with the $7 million home in Laguna Beach, California.

AD NARRATOR: Hovde's lifestyle, pure California.

RAJU: But Hovde has poured at least $20 million of his own money into the race, helping the GOP outpaced Democrats by millions on the air, in the final month of the campaign.

HOVDE: Thank you!

RAJU: As he rides Donald Trumps coattails, Hovde has launched a flurry of attack ads that hit very close to Baldwin's home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tammy and her girlfriend get richer while we struggled.

RAJU: Since August, Hovde and GOP groups have cut at least eight ads targeting Baldwin's six-year relationship with financial advisor Maria Brisbane, demanding the senator disclose her partner's assets, even though Senate rules do not require that for partners, only spouses.

AD NARRATOR: Baldwin's in bed with Wall Street. While she sleeps in her girlfriend's million dollar condo in New York City, Wisconsin families are getting hammered.

AD NARRATOR: That's a conflict of interest.

RAJU: The senator has gone on air, pushing back.

AD NARRATOR: This ad is a complete lie.

RAJU: And strongly denies the GOP allegation that her partner's investments conflict with her work.

Since she just not disclosed this, put this to rest. Disclose of her assets, disclose her clients just to keep them --

BALDWIN: Absolutely not.

RAJU: Why not?

BALDWIN: If I was dating a doctor, should they disclose their patients? I mean, come on. This is -- this is just stand on my personal life. Ai disclose everything that I'm legally required to disclose.

RAJU: Baldwin, who first wanted 2012 and became the first opened senator sees the attacks differently.

Is he trying to really remind voters that you're gay? BALDWIN: I think he is. I think he's also trying to distract from his sort of judgmental weaknesses.

RAJU: Hovde denies that's his intent.

Because I've seen your ads, because you almost -- you say that it's a girlfriend, you'll want to emphasize girlfriend. Are you trying to remind voters that she's gay?

[18:50:01]

HOVDE: Oh, come on. I could care less whether she's say. I mean, this is a ridiculous question. It's a simple fact that she had -- her partner is investing in areas that Senator Baldwin oversees. They don't disclose it at all.

RAJU: CNN reviewed footage of a 2009 hearing with then Congresswoman Baldwin said she should have to disclose her then domestic partner's financial information, now, part of a GOP attack.

BALDWIN: Surely, the public interest would require that these obligations apply also to partners of gay and lesbian office holders.

RAJU: So how do you reconcile that?

BALDWIN: Yeah. So I don't particularly want to talk about my past life, but we have a domestic -- we had a domestic partnership law here in Wisconsin. And my ex and I were legally domestic partners. That's not the case in my current situation.

RAJU: So that's a different situation and your --

BALDWIN: Yeah.

RAJU: Because you have -- you have a condo together, but you're not domestic partners.

BALDWIN: That's correct. That's a legal term. And we are not.

RAJU: But Democrats say Baldwin's relationship is no different than male senators who have had girlfriends could say the GOP is now using dog-whistles.

Because you explicitly say she's in bed with Wall Street in those ads. It's pretty explicit.

HOVDE: Well, one of my design -- ad guys created that. Yeah, and the point is, have you seen her ads on me?

RAJU: Hovde, who like Baldwin, was raised and schooled in Madison, says he is the one being unfairly attacked.

Your ads have been pretty scorched-earth. Do you --

HOVDE: Wait, come on. She went total scorched-earth, trying to tell people I'm from California when I've had my home, my residents, you know, not even a mile away down here on Lake Mendota.

RAJU: I know you were in Laguna Beach for a while

HOVDE: I bought a home out there where my wife and I spend probably about three months out of the year the last five years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (on camera): Now, Hovde reports that the total value of his assets is at least $195 million. I asked him how high that number goes. What is the precise number of his net worth? He declined to say.

He also declined to say how much of his own money he will ultimately spend in this campaign, if there's any limit to that at all, he declined to say so, but he contended that he is not going to be beholden by special interest money because of his spending decisions.

Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

BLITZER: Our thanks to Manu for that excellent report.

Just ahead, breaking news tonight on a court ruling just in from Mississippi, that could impact whether certain ballots are counted in some critical swing states.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:02]

BLITZER: Breaking news, a panel of Trump-appointed appeals court judges say Mississippi is violating federal law by counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, even if they are postmarked November 5.

Mississippi is just one of many states where election rules and procedures right now are the subject of very heated legal disputes.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is on the story for us. She's here with me in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Katelyn, explain this new ruling for us.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yeah, Wolf, this might not actually impact ballots that come in to Mississippi in the days after the election. But what's important here is the thinking, the reasoning of these three judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. So the appeals court that oversees the law in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and what they say is Mississippi was allowing themselves to count ballots coming in to election officials up to five days after election day.

That is not what we believe the federal law across the country should allow. They write: Texts, precedent, and historical practice, they note that that's the Civil War, its soldiers voting, historical practice confirmed that this day for the election is the day by which ballots must be both cast by voters and received by state officials. They then send the case back to a lower court judge and say, we want that judge to look at making sure the status quo in the eve of this election is preserved, meaning it might not change anything for this election, but this reasoning is now out there from a very prominent appeals court, and it could matter if there are ballots that come in, in another state that has this sort of rule on the books that allows vows to be counted after election day.

That could really come into play especially as Republicans want to make arguments to get rid of some ballots.

BLITZER: And other legal battle that's unfolding right now.

Katelyn, in Virginia today, Republican officials have appealed a federal judges ruling involving voter registration. Walk us through that.

POLANTZ: Yeah. In Virginia, this affects 1,600 voters that we know of what happened here is the governor of Virginia at the 90-day mark leading up to this election, used DMV data to system dramatically take people off of the voter rolls that the state believed could potentially be non-citizens or legal voters. Whenever the group that challenge this, the immigrant rights group challenged us and they looked into it, they found in 48 hours of canvassing people that there were 18 eligible voters that were taken off of the ability to vote in Virginia.

And so the judge in Virginia just today said, we can't do this. The law that Congress passed in 1993 says you cannot purge voter rolls systematically within 90 days of the election, restore these people, make sure they know if they are eligible voters. They can vote.

That's what's happening in Virginia and Alabama. It's a big question though, if other states are trying this sort of thing and what courts will do.

BLITZER: Do you think were bracing for more of these legal battles between now and Election Day?

POLANTZ: Very much so, Wolf.

BLITZER: And probably whole bunch more after Election Day as well. You'll be busy.

Katelyn, thank you very, very much. Katelyn Polantz reporting for us.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.